Mornings with Dave & Jen

1) Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Both caffeine and alcohol can dehydrate the body by acting as diuretics. This is the last thing you need when temperatures soar.

2) Tone it down. Healthy people who are active during the day should limit the amount time they spend outside during peak heat hours, which generally span from 11AM to 2PM. Shift outdoor activities to the early morning or evening.

3) Don’t forget humidity. If you must work out outdoors, remember to check humidity levels, which can add several degrees to the heat index. “The environment is two-fold, it’s temperature and the humidity. If it was 85 degrees and low humidity, that’s a beautiful time to work out. If it is 85 degrees and greater than 70% humidity, then your body is going to have a hard time cooling off,” says Dr. Salvatore Pardo, the vice chairperson of the emergency department at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

4) Don’t leave kids or pets in cars. Even if you’re only going to be a few minutes, the temperature inside a car can quickly rise to above 100 degrees. Children and pets can’t sweat enough to cool off, so they are even more vulnerable to the rising temperatures in a closed car.

5) Check on the elderly. The elderly already have less tolerance to heat due to their age, and couple that with the fact that they typically take pills that can dehydrate the body, and some elderly patients may be even more vulnerable to the effects of hot temperatures.

Most importantly, take care of YOURSELF so you can help others survive!